The Realm of Blooming Friendship
by DevynQ
Summary: Just a bit of Inu/Kag fluff with some humor thrown in. Mostly back-and-forth dialogue. Series of random one-shots!
1. Overreacting

**Hey, there! This is my first Inu/Kag fanfic, so let me know what you think! I wrote most of these while I was in class, so needless to say they aren't my finest pieces, although they're still quite funny. Anyway, enjoy the read!**

* * *

Kagome sneezed.

"Gesundheit!" chirped a squeaky voice.

Inuyasha threw them both a furious look, and they quieted down, though not without rolling their eyes. "We're on a mission here, you know. Shut up!"

"Like I could forget," Shippo muttered, his bushy tail swishing lazily back in forth, stirring the humid air around the group.

"I don't see why we have to be quiet." Kagome, hands on her hips, glared down at the crouched half-demon. "This is one of the busiest streets around. No one could possibly hear us, not unless we go around talking through megaphones." Inuyasha gave her a confused look, and it was only then that she realized he had no idea what a megaphone was.

Despite his obvious confusion, he only said, "Keh," in an agitated tone. Huffing, she stepped forward, preparing to exit the densely-packed grove of trees and withering shrubs and enter normal society. As usual, with Inuyasha around, she didn't get very far.

"Where are you going?" he snapped, yanking her back by the collar of her shirt. "We need to stay hidden, _all_ of us, if I haven't made that clear enough already."

Kagome slapped his restraining hand away. "This really isn't a big deal. All we need to do is just –"

He shushed her yet again, this time with a glare, and jerked her back among the trees. Amused, Shippo, casually leaning back against a curved tree trunk, watched the scene unfold, tossing a pinecone from hand to hand.

"Quiet!" Inuyasha snarled. "How many times do I have to say that?" Flicking the pinecone away from the fox demon, he harrumphed and tried to ignore Kagome, who was growing angrier by the second.

"I swear –"

"What did I just say?!"

"Inuyasha, if you don't –"

"You never listen, do you?"

"Can you _stop_ interrupt –"

"Silence! Your complaining is –"

"_Sit_!"

Inuyasha then slammed – quite unceremoniously – face-first into the ground, a cloud of dirt and wrinkled leaves rising in the air above his sprawled form. He groaned in pain.

"There," Kagome exclaimed cheerily. "Maybe now you'll listen."

"Keh."

"That's as close to a _yes_ as you're gonna get," Shippo informed her, barely holding in his laughter.

She sighed. "I know."

Still on the ground, Inuyasha twitched but made no move to get up again. He appeared, for the moment at least, to be totally subdued. That, in Kagome's opinion, was by all means an excellent thing.

"So. Inuyasha. First of all, this hiding-behind-any-inanimate-object-available thing is completely unnecessary."

The half-demon muttered something, but all Kagome could catch was the word _stealth_, which made her sigh yet again. Sometimes the man was more exasperating that a five-year-old toddler with an attention-deficit disorder.

"Look, I know you're used to fending off demons and other evil villains and everything, but we aren't in your era anymore. These are modern times; you won't find any trace of a demonic creature here."

Inuyasha huffed, but Kagome managed to ignore him and surged relentlessly on.

"All we need to do is walk across the street and go in," she continued slowly, hoping this simple instruction would get through to him. He could be unbearably dense sometimes. "That's all there is to it. Once we're inside, you'll be able to find what you're looking for…okay?"

Finally picking himself up off the ground, the half-demon growled and dusted his clothes off with tense hands. Shippo chuckled, evidently forgetting who he was chuckling at, but quickly stopped short as his large companion turned on him, raising a single claw with menace. The tiny fox demon held up his trembling hands in surrender.

"So…do you understand what I'm saying?" Kagome asked finally, with a hesitance that Shippo was unaccustomed to hearing.

Inuyasha, keeping his irritation and embarrassment under control, sniffed while looking at a far point high above Kagome's head, and nodded reluctantly. Relieved, she clapped excitedly, immensely glad that she had managed to get through to him. Not to mention they could all move on with their lives.

She reached out a hand for Shippo, who took it gratefully, casting a smug look in Inuyasha's direction, comforted by Kagome's presence. Before they walked out into the open, she threw a suspicious look over her shoulder. Her half-demon pal was directly behind them, however, and she lifted an eyebrow. It really wasn't like him to merely follow them around without complaining or nagging or anything of that sort. His indifference put her on-edge, but she just shrugged and allowed Shippo to lead them across the busy street.

"Does he always act this way when visiting a new place?"

"Usually," Shippo replied blithely, skipping along beside her, keeping pace.

Kagome rolled her eyes for what felt like the thousandth time that day, exasperated beyond words. "He needs to get over this paranoia. What we're doing is an everyday thing for normal people; if Inuyasha's going to stay here for an extended amount of time, he'll have to learn how to adapt."

Shippo shrugged, nonplussed. They reached the opposite side of the street just as a long line of cars blew past, their horns honking. Swiveling on the sidewalk, Kagome opened her mouth to ask if Inuyasha was doing okay so far.

However, the half-demon was nowhere to be found.

"What…!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening. She whipped her head back and forth wildly. "Where is he?"

The fox demon, on the other hand, appeared totally unperturbed. "Really, what did you expect, Kagome? He's not going to change his ways just because you want him to. You know how stubborn he can be."

"Inuyasha!" she called, dropping Shippo's hand to cup her own hands around her mouth.

There was no answer…not like she had expected any different. Rubbing her temples with a tired air, Kagome took time to scan the surrounding area, trying to pick out that familiar white mane from among the shrubs, undergrowth, cars, and rushing crowd of people surging up and down both sides of the street.

_Where_ _could he have scampered off to now_? she wondered nervously.

"He can't have gone too far," Shippo murmured reassuringly, though he didn't necessarily believe those words himself. Inuyasha was capable of anything, including pulling a disappearing act like this; he had learned that the hard way, unfortunately.

"I just wish he would act normal and human for once," Kagome hissed, at her wits end.

"Keh."

The two of them spun around simultaneously, but the dog demon was, unbelievably, still nowhere to be seen. Curious, Kagome cocked her head, her eyes narrowing. She gazed searchingly around the immediate area, including the gleaming row of newly constructed storefronts that stretched as far as the (human) eye could see.

But then Kagome came to an obvious realization: the noise had come from above.

She tilted her head back and squinted into the harsh sunlight. Barely distinguishable from the blazing colors, an outline appeared. An outline that sported wild white hair and an unusually large sword. The half-demon was perched on the very edge of the building they had been meaning to enter for almost an hour now. Kagome couldn't quite catch his expression, but she doubted it was a cheerful one. Rarely was Inuyasha in a pleasant mood.

"What are you doing up there?" she called.

Shippo, jumping up and down, said, "Inuyasha, stop being a child! Come down from there! We were just about to go in."

Inuyasha scoffed. "I know that," he growled. "But there's something suspicious about this place. I can feel it."

"It's just your nerves," Kagome said, growing exceedingly tired of this game. "There's honestly nothing wrong with this building, or anything else around here. Chill out."

"Chill out?" he asked, sounding offended.

"It means calm down," Shippo supplied helpfully.

"I'm not coming down!"

"_Calm_ down!" Kagome nearly screamed. "I said _calm down_, you buffoon! Now stop playing games! We're going into this place _right now_ whether you are willing to or not! My mother expected me to be back over an _hour_ ago!"

Inuyasha seemed quite taken aback, if not totally bewildered by Kagome's tone. Despite some hesitation, he jumped and landed several feet from Shippo and his steaming companion, careful to avoid being anywhere within arms-distance of her.

"Okay, okay," he muttered. "No need to be so dramatic, Kagome."

She stared at him icily, and Inuyasha cleared his throat and held the door open for her as she stormed past, Shippo hot on her heels. He smiled cruelly at the half-demon, as if to say, "_Ha-ha, I'm on her good side and you're _not!" Moving quickly, Inuyasha smacked the side of his head, sliding the smile right off his face.

Kagome, meanwhile, was staring, entranced, at the menu. "Oh, my," she was saying to herself, her eyes shining and her hands clasped, "I can _never_ decide which one to choose. It's a big decision, you know. They're all so delicious!"

Behind her back, Inuyasha rolled his eyes, dramatically clasping his hands together in a poor imitation of Kagome. Unfortunately for him, she whirled on him, catching him red-handed. His eyes widened as hers narrowed, and Shippo breezed past them, unwilling to be caught in the cross-fire.

"That's it," she growled.

Inuyasha watched her nervously. "What's it?"

"You –" she started, her face turning bright red with a mixture of anger and exertion. "_You_ –"

"He?" asked Shippo, now perched on the counter, tinkering around with a bunch of napkins and straws.

"Me?" Inuyasha pointed at himself, visibly frightened.

She took in a huge gulp of air and finally shouted: "_You're paying_!"

The door jingled as Shippo pushed it open, Kagome and Inuyasha trailing behind him. He really wanted no part of their bickering, and so he ran ahead, holding his cup of delight close to his chest, knowing that if it spilled he wouldn't be allowed to get another one for a few hours, maybe even a few _days_. The thought of going that long was unbearable.

"No, hazelnut is the best. You can't argue with that."

"Nope. That French-y one is definitely better. I don't know what it is, but something about the taste…" Lacking the appropriate words, Inuyasha merely tilted the cup to his mouth and drank deeply.

"See? There aren't any demons around here. Now don't you feel ashamed at getting all worked up for nothing?"

He glanced at her, looking sheepish, but didn't bother to answer. Instead, he frowned at his now-empty cup, shaking it violently. "Where did it go?"

"You drank it all, dummy. We only left a minute ago. That's got to be a record." Kagome cradled her own cup close to her chest, just as Shippo was doing. Steam rose from the top, curling into the air, and her hands were already sweaty from the warmth emanating from the sides.

"What is this again?" Inuyasha asked, clearly enthralled. He was now clutching the cup in one hand, accidentally squishing it between his sharp claws.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "_Coffee_, Inuyasha. It's called coffee."

He seemed to think about that for a moment. "And where we just were, that's a…?"

"Coffee shop. Doesn't seem so scary now, does it?"

He shook his head vehemently. "We're going to go every day, from now on." Nodding firmly, he whisked up ahead, bounding next to Shippo, who jumped a mile at the sudden intrusion. They seemed to converse about something really important for a minute, and then, when Kagome was just beginning to think that today's trip had been worth it after all, Inuyasha reached over and snatched the coffee cup right out of Shippo's hands, draining it in a single gulp.

Shippo screamed. "You _monster_!"

"I needed it more than you!"

"You're such a liar! I can't _believe_ you just did that! You're so _mean_!"

"You probably don't even like it."

"How would _you_ know?!"

"Because I do!"

"I hate you, Inuyasha! _You're going to pay for this_!"

"Keh. Go ahead and do your worst, fox-boy."

Shaking her head, Kagome eyed the two demons as they tackled each other to the ground. She couldn't restrain a gusty sigh. "I'm never doing this again."

With that said, she took a delicate sip of her coffee and headed home.


	2. Jealousy

"But it's so _adorable_!" Kagome crooned, watching the small animal hop daintily away.

"We're not taking that creature with us. End of discussion," Inuyasha replied in a flat voice.

"It looks really lonely! I think it's leg is injured, too." Kagome cast woeful eyes on the impatient half-demon. "We can't just let the poor thing fend for itself."

"Of course we can," he deadpanned, examining his claws.

She pouted. "I'm not leaving here without at least making sure it's okay."

Inuyasha shrugged, unconcerned. "Go ahead, but I'm going to keep walking. It's your own problem if we get split up." Glancing to the side, he added, "Shippo?" in a slightly threatening voice.

Two tiny ears poked up from inside a bush. Shippo himself soon appeared, looking quizzical. "What's going on now?"

"Inuyasha's being insensitive, as usual."

"Keh."

"What have you done _this_ time?" Shippo asked warily.

"She wants to take care of some stupid ball of fur."

"That ball of fur isn't stupid, Inuyasha. Bunnies are completely harmless, and without their mothers, completely vulnerable, especially with a broken leg!"

Shippo's eyes widened, growing large and teary-eyed. "A little bunny's been injured?"

"It's leg isn't _broken_," the half-demon growled. "You have no idea what's wrong with it; for all you know, Kagome, it could be perfectly healthy."

"_You have no compassion_!" she shouted, and then proceeded to stomp away, throwing a loud, "_SIT_!" over her shoulder.

As Inuyasha slumped to the ground, Shippo bounced unhappily around him. "Kagome's right; how insensitive are you?! Bunnies are innocent creatures!"

Wiping dirt from his chin, Inuyasha rolled his eyes and struggled to sit up. "We have enough going on right now without worrying about a dumb, squirmy rabbit that will only get in everyone's way."

"But don't you want Kagome to be happy?" Shippo asked quietly. He stared up at the half-demon with curious eyes.

"Keh." But even as he folded his arms, Inuyasha appeared distinctly uncomfortable.

The fox demon's shoulders slumped. "Well, alright. I guess I'll tell Kagome that her dreams of rescuing that little bunny are broken. She'll be so disappointed, I'm sure, and she probably won't want to talk to you for a while." He sighed. "And then, of course, comes the sulking and the unnerving silence she's so good at maintaining, and –"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Inuyasha clenched his hands into fists. "Where's the rabbit?"

"_Yay_!" he shouted, jumping joyously into the air. "Kagome will be so happy!"

Inuyasha muttered under his breath as Shippo ran to find their other companion, yelling her name as he went. Shoving aside branches and tall weeds, he scanned the ground and sniffed deeply, trying to discern the dumb rabbit's path. He could smell blood, but very faintly, and that alone told him that the rabbit's wound must be very shallow.

He scoffed. "Like I said, the stupid thing probably got his leg stuck on a wire or something."

"What was that?" Kagome asked, suddenly appearing beside him. She seemed very pleased and was gazing at Inuyasha with glee. "Where's the little bunny? I just want to cuddle with him and make sure he's okay!"

"How do you know it's a he?" Inuyasha asked suspiciously as he neared the location of the small creature.

She merely shrugged. "I just have a feeling that it's a male."

"You're so weird."

Kagome frowned. "Says the one who feels threatened by a baby animal that barely weighs five pounds."

"You've made your point," he muttered just as his eyes landed on the trembling baby in question.

"There it is!" Kagome screeched. She creeped steadily towards the bunny and then crouched down on her knees. "Oh, you poor thing. Look at your wittle leggie. It's all bloody." Tears threatened to pour from her shining blue eyes, but Shippo quickly intervened.

"C'mon, Kagome, pick it up and bring it back to the village. I'm sure Lady Kaede has some sort of remedy that prevents infection."

She nodded. "You're right. I just hate seeing babies that're left to fend for themselves. The world is so cruel," she added in a small voice, her eyes glazing over for a brief moment before alighting once again on the huddled figure. "Let's go, sweetie." Gathering it in her arms, Kagome started to rise, wobbling slightly, when a hand inexplicably appeared on her arm and helped steady her. Her eyes met bright amber ones.

"Oh. Thank you, Inuyasha," she said, a bit stiffly. Try as she might, she couldn't forget that he had barely seemed concerned about the poor bunny in peril.

He nodded, silent. While his two companions had been preoccupied with taking care of the rabbit, Inuyasha had observed the tenderness and overall emotion with which Kagome approached and then spoke to the clearly frightened creature. Something inside him had stirred at the sight, and he found that he could no longer be angry with her.

Following closely behind Kagome, he muttered, "The things I do for love."

The girl in front of him stopped and turned around. "What are you talking about?"

Inuyasha looked extremely surprised. "I didn't think you could hear me."

"Well, I can, and you aren't doing this out of 'love'. We all know that. You just want to appease me so that I don't throw a fit and mess everything up, right?"

"You wouldn't mess _every_thing up," he said slowly, trying to figure out where this sudden anger was coming from. Apparently, however, this was exactly the wrong thing to say.

Kagome's eyes turned flinty. "Oh, okay, only a few things then. Like finding the shards. And, most importantly, I would probably be interfering with your hunt for Kikyo, wouldn't I?"

"Kikyo?" he asked, puzzled. "What's she got to do with anything?"

"She's got to do with everything, you dumb dog!" The small, harmless bunny was trembling in her arms, frightened at the tone of Kagome's suddenly loud and furious voice. She paid no attention to the poor creature. Her mind was wholly focused on one thing, and one thing only; making Inuyasha feel as awful as possible.

"She's always on your mind, I know it! You didn't want to take care of this bunny because it would lessen your time to search for her. You never want to stray too far from places where you think she'll be. Sometimes I catch you staring off at the mountains, and it's obvious to _everyone_, including _Shippo_, who's oblivious to nearly _everything_" – Shippo looks hurt at this accusation – "that Kikyo is front and center in your mind. Your focus should be here." Kagome was near tears now, but she held them at bay.

Inuyasha's mouth opened and closed twice before he could say a single word. "When did this become about Kikyo?" he asked faintly. "We've been looking for the shards. We're trying to avoid other power-hungry demons. And now we're stuck with caring for this hopelessly annoying bunny. You're bringing Kikyo into this when she has nothing to do with any of it."

Kagome barely heard a word of this attempt at an explanation. The only thing she was aware of was the fact that Inuyasha did not in any way deny her claims. This only meant one thing, of course; she was telling the truth. She had guessed right, and Inuyasha could do nothing to prove himself innocent.

All at once, the fight went out of her. "Why don't you go find your girlfriend and together the two of you can hunt for the Shikon shards?" she said quietly.

"What do you mean?" The half-demon instantly went on alert, aware that something bad was going on.

"I'm sure you could find them much quicker and easier with her by your side." Kagome looked away and sighed, closing her eyes briefly. It hurt her to say this, but she couldn't bare being around him when all he thought about was a girl who looked almost identical to her. She was tired of being cheerful and pretending to not give a damn. She _did_ give a damn, and loving a boy who had his sight set on someone else was pointless.

Turning smoothly on her heel, Kagome set off on a path perpendicular to the one they had been following for over two days. She didn't glance back, nor did she utter a single noise. Carrying the bunny in her arms, she clenched her jaw and tried to focus her mind on locating the next shard without her companions.

"Wait!" Inuyasha called, clearly confused. Kagome was more than important to him. This was an irrefutable fact, and he wondered how anyone would be unable to see that. Sure, he might have some unresolved feelings for Kikyo, but they rarely intervened with his task and his (mostly) easy-going relationship with his traveling companions. Kagome had to know she was first priority.

The girl, however, didn't react in any way. She kept walking – or stomping, really – away from the half-demon and Shippo, who had remained conspicuously silent throughout Kagome's rant and Inuyasha's attempt at smoothing things over. Once Inuyasha began to go after her, though, the fox demon finally managed to pull himself together.

"Don't," he warned. "She'll come back when she's ready. She knows that going off on her own is pointless; she won't be able to accomplish anything that way." He sighed. "You've upset her, and she'll only come back when she feels she has to."

"How have I upset her?" Inuyasha nearly yelled, his confusion turning into irritation and utter bewilderment. He was a bit panicked, too, at the thought of leaving Kagome alone for an extended amount of time. Anything could happen to her when he wasn't around to protect her.

Shippo looked at the tall man before him with saddened eyes. "By loving someone else," he whispered simply, and quietly walked over to the base of an enormous tree, where he sat and began to wait.

Inuyasha, furrowing his brows in what appeared to be pain, clenched his hands into fists at his sides and remained standing, hoping it wouldn't take too long for Kagome to find her way back to him.

Four hours later, she reappeared between two shadowy trees, a cheerful grin on her face. She laughed at the expression on Inuyasha's face and the way Shippo ran to her and flung his arms around her slim waist, exclaiming loudly about how happy he was that she was in a better mood. With much excitement, the trio set out again that evening. The mood was light-hearted, but there was a certain heaviness surrounding Inuyasha's heart as he watched Kagome skipping up ahead, the bunny snuggled into the crook of one arm while the other swung wildly with Shippo's, their hands clasped tightly together.

_Things will be okay_, he reasoned uneasily. For a little while.


End file.
